Objectives: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is no longer believed to be tissue specific for prostate epithelial cells as it has been documented in various human tissues. The physiological role of PSA in this context is currently unknown. Furthermore the distribution of PSA throughout the human body remains to be established. We therefore investigated PSA immunoreactivity in human spinal fluid (SF). Methods: The PSA concentration was measured in the SF and sera of 34 men and 6 women. The SF was obtained prior to spinal anesthesia and was kept frozen at ––20°C until analysis. Results: PSA was detected in the SF of male patients. Median SF PSA was 0.03 ng/ml in the 34 men, whereas SF PSA was below the detection limit in the 6 women. In men we could establish a positive correlation between SF PSA and serum PSA with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.85 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: These results confirm recent literature reports indicating that PSA is detectable in various human tissues and fluids.

Keywords:
Prostate-specific antigen, Immunoreactivity, Spinal fluid, Body fluids
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© 1997 S. Karger AG, Basel
1997
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